In a Special Session Wednesday June 26, the Legislature will have to cut $173 million from the state budget and decide how much of that, if any, must come from higher education.
U administrators have previously said that if the U is asked to make cuts beyond the $11 million slash made earlier this year, they would institute a mid-year tuition increase for Fall Semester and specific programs would be cut drastically, possibly to the point of laying off faculty.
U President Bernie Machen said, “I honestly don’t get it. How can they think about cutting higher education in a year where our enrollment is skyrocketing.”
Summer enrollment is at an all-time high, which makes U officials believe Fall Semester enrollment will be as well. And with students come tremendous costs, he said.
Earlier this month, members of the state Board of Regents met with legislators to discuss the long-term and short-term consequences further cuts would place on higher education. During that meeting Regents pointed out that during the past five years state tax funds appropriated for higher education have declined 12 percent ($650) in constant dollars per student. Regents said this is the result of budget cuts during a time of tremendous growth: Since 1999, enrollment has increased twice as fast as state funding.
“There is a limit to which our colleges and universities can absorb the combination of budget cuts and enrollment growth without seriously diminishing the quality of education,” said Nolan Karras, Regent chairman. “We recognize the Legislature is facing very difficult decisions in order to balance the budget. We ask [legislators] to seriously consider avoiding any further cuts to higher education when they meet in Special Session.”
During a meeting with two legislators last week, U student body president Billy Edwards asked Republican leaders to consider the cuts’ impact on students.
“Twenty-nine percent of students would have to take fewer classes and postpone graduation if tuition goes up more than $100,” Edwards said, quoting the statistics of a survey paid for by student government last spring.
Edwards reported that some lawmakers appeared to understand that higher education needs to be spared, but others disagree. Regents report an additional 4.75 percent cut ($27 million) would require the elimination of more than 400 faculty and staff positions or an additional 11.3 percent tuition increase. A larger 9 percent cut ($51.6 million) would require the elimination of more than 950 faculty and staff positions or a 21.3 percent increase in tuition.